Bryan's relief at the successful healing of the zombie - no, Bob - turned to horror as he heard the man's story of his children being infected and passing it on by biting. His own grandkids did not live in Monstropolis or go to Ditto Town Elementary, but there was no telling if they'd received flu shots, contaminated or not. He racked his brains but couldn't recall any comments about flu shots - not that his children would bother him with such routine details.

He excused himself and whipped out his phone. Please be home, please be home, he thought as he called his son.

But all night, Aslan and the Moon gazed upon each other with joyful and unblinking eyes.

"I'm going to go back upstairs and see if I can find where the others are at," Annie said, excusing herself. She wandered around the Mansion, looking for signs of life. "Hello? People whose names I don't remember? Anyone here? Delia?"

"Do you mean leaving the room or leaving the mansion? You're welcome to do either of course, you're not a prisoner . . . at least not anymore. It just might not be the wisest course of action to leave the building on your own. Delia and Neal said that there are zombies everywhere and the treatment I gave you doesn't provide any sort of immunity to a second infection. Think about it, and if you do decide to leave on your own, let us know." Doc started toward the kitchen before doubling back. "Do you know your way around the building?"

"Yes," Bryan answered. "I'm no expert but it looks like the Ritual was a complete success." He pocketed his cell phone. "Also, I've contacted my kids and let them know that the flu vaccine may be a big part of how this is transmitted. They're going to spread the word any way they can."

He looked back at Bob. "I'm very sorry your kids were infected and that they bit you, but with luck this may be exactly what people need to find a way to fight this infection."

Bryan had been incredibly relieved to learn that his kids and grandkids were safe for the moment, and that they hadn't had the flu shot - and that they wouldn't get it, mandatory or not.

But all night, Aslan and the Moon gazed upon each other with joyful and unblinking eyes.

"Yeah, he's fine. We're fine. It's happy endings all around, up until we get eaten by an army of mini zombies, which is apparently out there," Annie said. "It seems like Ditto Elementary is the source of the infection or one of them anyway. I guess that means we need to go check it out then."

Doc noticed a powwow in the hall on her way to the kitchen, so she decided to stop in. "I have a theory about how this epidemic might have started. We know that flu shots come from chickens. What if one of the chickens in an apothecary company's flock became infected with the bacteria? We know that the bacteria have evolved to respond to the human body in a way that allows the disease to assume control. Maybe it doesn't respond that way to chickens. Maybe it only survives inside the chicken, but doesn't thrive or take over. Nobody in charge would know that there was something wrong. Chicken zero would be free to infect the others at will; I'm given to understand that chickens lead a rather free-wheeling lifestyle. Soon any eggs coming from that flock will be tainted, and the resulting vaccines will cause infection in people who take them."

"I would like to be part of the group that goes to the elementary school. We should see if we can find a record of where the vaccines came from, but also look for other clues. The evidence against the flu shots is not conclusive."

"So we're thinking it's starting with the kids," Delia mused, nodding to Bryan and Neal. "That checks with what we saw."

She listened to Doc's somewhat bizarre chicken theory, but nodded at the final conclusion.

"Since the outbreak was first reported in Monstropolis, I'm gonna say that we aren't gonna be able to solve everything at Ditto Town Elementary, but we can go check it out. At least figure out where the vaccines were shipped from, if possible."

She thought for a moment, then looked at Neal.

"I'll let you start organizing that," she said, then turned and walked toward the kitchen. She grabbed Aron's sleeve as she walked past him, and dragged him along, swinging the door shut behind them.

"I didn't go on the last one, so I guess it's my turn," Annie said. The idea of tangling with zombies didn't thrill her, but being locked up inside the Mansion was starting to make her feel vaguely claustrophobic.

"If we're goin', let's go," Delia said, pushing through the kitchen doors, back into the dining area. "Everybody take something with them--gun, knife, baseball bat--and if you see a zombie, well, don't let it get you."